How to get social security statements?

If you want to get an estimate of how much benefits you will get from Social Security, you should read your Social Security statement. However, since Social Security no longer mails paper statements to workers below 60, you should figure out how to get your statement to help you plan your retirement.

You can get your Social Security statement either online from your My Social Security account or via registered mail. If you don’t have an account yet, you can create one by providing your personal information such as your name, email, and SSN. You can then view your statement to see estimates of your benefits and your earnings records. If you are 60 or older, and you don’t have a My Social Security account, you will receive a mailed paper statement annually 3 months before your birthday.

What is a Social Security Statement?

The Social Security Statement is an accounting of each worker's earnings over their working years for the purpose of calculating the amounts of Social Security benefits they are entitled to receive each year. It tells you how much you will receive in retirement or disability benefits, and how much your family will receive in survivor benefits if you die.

The Social Security statement also shows a record of your historical earnings. SSA uses your earnings record to determine how much benefits you will receive once you qualify for Social Security benefits. The benefits estimates are meant to be used for retirement planning, and they can change as your earnings change in subsequent years.

Once you receive your Social Security statement, you should review your personal information, earnings record, and benefits estimates to check if they are correct. If there are errors or omissions in your statement, you should find documentation to prove the error before contacting Social Security.

How to get a Social Security statement

Here are the main ways of accessing your Social Security Statement:

View Social Security Statement online

The easiest way to access your Social Security statement is to go online. If you don’t have an existing My Social Security account, you will need to choose a username and password, and provide other information such as a valid email address, Social Security number, and a US mailing address. After you complete creating the account, you will receive a one-time activation code that you will need to activate your account.

Once you set up an account on My Social Security, you can view your statement at any time. You can verify your earnings record, request a replacement Social Security card, view the Social Security taxes and Medicare taxes, and check the status of your application. If you are already receiving monthly Social Security payments, you can review payments in your My Social Security account.

Get your Social Security Statement via mail

Social Security mails out physical Social Security statements to beneficiaries above age 60 who do not have a My Social Security account. The statement is usually mailed out once per year.

Social Security still offers mailed paper statements to other beneficiaries upon request. You can request a paper statement by completing Form SSA-7004, also known as "Request for Social Security Statement", and mailing it to the Social Security address indicated on the form. The Social Security statement will arrive by mail within four to six weeks to arrive.

How to read Social Security Statement

A Social Security statement is a useful tool for retirement planning, and it allows workers to better understand their benefits. Here is what you will find in your Social Security statement:

Benefits estimates

Social Security statement shows an estimate of your retirement benefits, disability benefits (if you become disabled), and survivor benefits that your dependents will receive when you die. The statement shows an estimate of the benefits you will receive if you claim at various claiming ages i.e. at age 62, full retirement age (66 or 67), and age 70.

The benefits estimates are based on your average earnings. If your earnings increase or decrease in the future, the actual benefits you receive will be different from the estimates shown on the statement. Other factors that may make the benefits estimates vary from the actual benefits include cost-of-living adjustments and other earnings other than from employment.

Earnings record

On the third page of your Social Security statement, you will see your year-to-year record of your earnings. This information is updated annually when your earnings are reported.

The earnings record shows each year you have worked, earnings taxed for Social Security, earnings taxed for Medicare, as well the total taxes paid for Social Security taxes and Medicare Taxes. Since earnings are reported annually, your recent earnings may not appear on your Social Security statement.

Since Social Security calculated benefits based on your lifetime earnings, you should review your year-to-year earnings to make sure they are reported correctly. You should compare these earnings with your tax return, pay stubs, and Form W-2 to check if there are inconsistencies.

What happens if there are errors in your Social Security statement?

As with other financial documents, your Social Security may contain clerical errors. These errors may occur if your employer reported your annual earnings incorrectly, your employer reported an incorrect Social Security number, you worked under an incorrect Social Security number, or you did not report a name change.

To correct these errors, you will need evidence to prove there is a mistake in your statement. Some of the proofs you can use as evidence include your tax return, pay stubs, W-2 Form, etc. Once you have gathered the required documents, you should call SSA at 1-800-772-1213 or visit the local SSA office to speak to a representative. Depending on the type of error, the process of correcting your statement can take a few weeks or months.